NEW DELHI: A book on the life of Raj Kapoor was released in a conference organised by the Indian Embassy at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies on Tuesday.
India’s Ambassador to Tashkent Smita Pant, Director Umesh Mehra, Indologists, researchers of Indian cinema and University students took part in this event on Tuesday.
"There are quite a few who can still hum Mera joota hain Japani. The Indian legend who is instrumental in familiarizing Bollywood with Uzbekistan is Raj Kapoor. He used to visit Tashkent often and had crowds chasing him and singing songs from his films. Now People in Uzbekistan know Bollywood more than any other cinema and Indian tourists often encounter queries on Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Raj Kapoor," said an official from Uzbekistan.
"Interestingly, there is a restaurant called ‘Raaj Kapoor’ in Tashkent which was established seventeen years back. They too are celebrating his birth anniversary," the official added